Set

How to spell set

3 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce set

What does set mean?

1. verbTo put or place something in a particular position, or to fix it firmly.
2. nounA group of related things that belong or are used together.
3. adjectiveFixed, arranged in advance, or fully prepared to begin.

Set in a sentence

• verb

  Please set the boxes down by the front door.

• noun

  She bought a matching set of kitchen knives.

• adjective

  The runners were set and waiting for the starting signal.

• verb

  The builders will set the new fence posts in concrete.

• noun

  The museum displayed a complete set of antique coins.

• adjective

  The meeting time is set and cannot be changed now.

Where does set come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

The word descends directly from the Old English verb settan, meaning 'to cause to sit, to place, to put in position'. It is the causative form of sittan ('to sit'), so the original idea was literally making something take a seat or settle into place. This puts set among the oldest layer of native English vocabulary, with close relatives across the Germanic languages, including the German setzen and the Dutch zetten, which carry the same 'to place' sense. Over the centuries the verb branched out enormously, picking up dozens of meanings such as fixing something firmly, arranging objects, and the sun dropping below the horizon. The noun meaning 'a group belonging together' arrived later and was reinforced by the French sette and Latin secta ('a following, a sect'), which is why a 'set' of matching items feels distinct from the placing verb. Despite its tangle of meanings, the spelling has stayed remarkably simple and stable throughout its long history.

How the word is built

• set (from Old English settan, the causative of sittan 'to sit', literally 'to cause to sit')